Yana Franko
February 2, 2014  8:17 PM Euromaidan
Source: http://maidan.in.ua/13th-district-in-the-center-of-europe/

13th District in the Center of Europe

Will you stay indifferently watching how they kill your friends?

Sometimes it seems that in movies with worldwide resonance there is some hidden code, some prophecy which reflects the course of real events.

While comfortably watching the long-expected premiere of “Hunger Games,” no one even suspected that they were going to turn Ukraine into a regular district of empire. The district where people would be afraid to rise up and protect their rights today, then would speak of their love to the dictator tomorrow and, finally, they would love him wholeheartedly.

Europeans! Please, don’t be indifferent spectators while they are turning us into a district of submissive slaves! A little more of such indifference – and our country will eventually remind the world of “hunger games”…

Two years ago you came here on Euro-2012. Some of you said that the Ukrainian girls are the most beautiful and the Ukrainian people are sincere, hospitable and kind. But look – now these sincere, hospitable and kind people are being tortured and killed! They are the people you met in the streets of Kyiv and Lviv, communicated with them, took photos of them, drank beer and watched football with them. Not extremists – just ordinary people.

For 2 months we were standing on Euromaydan and demanding from the president to pay attention to our peaceful protest. And what have we received in response? Negligence of all of our requirements, abduction, tortures; over one hundred activists were put in prisons and peaceful protests were outlawed.

SO HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES?

We hoped so much for sanctions from Europe and the US to influence the dictatorship, however, we received only words of “moral support.” But how can these words help people who were tortured to death?!

Hundreds of people are injured, tens – lost their eyes, five of us – murdered… ISN’T IT ENOUGH FOR SANCTIONS? What else should still happen to us?!

It is sheer hypocrisy to call for peace for people who are put in prisons and killed for their convictions, people who die for freedom but don’t take up guns because war is not the answer! It’s the same as if you told a woman who is cruelly beaten by her husband: “Be patient… He is in bad mood. But it will change, maybe.”

Sanctions – that’s the way to peace! If the USA and Europe don’t impose sanctions, it means nothing else but this: they give the green light to war and cruel bloody dictatorship in the heart of Europe. 

It is practically impossible to change the mentality. A person brought up under totalitarian conditions, in fear and total submission to the authority, will never properly understand a person from a free society. And if we sacrifice our freedom today, then our children will live in slavery again, with almost no chances to change it.

Whoever you are – accountant, driver, manager, journalist, doctor, teacher, student or housewife – I appeal to you: “Rise up!!!” Demand sanctions for Ukraine right now! At a time when each of us on Maydan can be shot by a sniper, your help means so much! I beg you, go on the streets to protect Ukraine and show that murder of the innocent is not acceptable! 

Rise up while you have the right to do this! Because in my country there isn’t such a right anymore…